Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → New Zealand → West Coast → Fox Glacier

♦ Intrepid Top Pick!

Location: Fox Glacier area, West Coast, New Zealand

Time Required: 1 hour – 1 day (depending on activities)

Red Tape/Notes: Be aware that helicopter flights are cancelled with some frequency due to unfavorable cloud conditions; if you have one scheduled, have a contingency plan just in case.

What’s Nearby?: Haast Pass, Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools, Franz Josef Glacier

New Zealand has two very popular glaciers – Fox and Franz Josef. We chose Fox, simply because it’s the more southern of the two (although Franz Josef is only about 30 minutes further up the road) and we were driving up from the south. Both glaciers are very popular, so expect crowds if you’re only doing the short hikes to the snout. You can get away from most of the crowds by taking the Chalet Track for an elevated view of the glacier, or if you don’t mind spending the money, do what we did and book a helicopter to take you up onto the glacier. This is where the fun really is. Strap on some crampons and set off on a hike where you can gaze into crevasses, crawl through ice tunnels, and get up close views of glacial blue ice. If you’re like us and enjoy ice climbing, this is a wonderful place to do it since they’ll let you drop as deep into crevasses as you want.

Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → New Zealand → West Coast → Fox Glacier